Written Answers Friday 23 October 2009

Scottish Executive

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many emergency ambulance call-outs in the NHS Lothians area were (a) alcohol-related and (b) drug-related in each of the last five years.

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of all emergency ambulance call-outs in the NHS Lothians area were (a) alcohol-related and (b) drug-related in each of the last five years.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.

Health

Nicol Stephen (Aberdeen South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been transferred to the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation unit in Leicester for treatment in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) unit in Leicester was established more than five years ago to evaluate the evidence for treating adults with ECMO, but it was not until 2007 that it was recognised as a national service for the treatment of patients from across the UK, including Scotland. All admissions to the unit were considered as part of this trial of effectiveness.

  NHS boards arrange transfers of patients to Leicester directly. However, we are aware that one patient from NHS Ayrshire and Arran was transferred for treatment in 2007-08, and this month, one patient from NHS Lanarkshire and one from NHS Dumfries and Galloway were transferred.

Health

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration has recommended the inclusion of an additional distinction award for 2010 and, if so, whether this will be accepted.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration Body (DDRB) is expected to publish its recommendations for 2010-11 early in 2010. At that time the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing will decide for Scotland’s interests if the recommendations should be accepted.

Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many men aged between 50 and 65 were (a) diagnosed with and successfully operated on for and (b) died as a result of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in each year since 1999.

Nicola Sturgeon: It is not possible to specifically identify the success of surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) from centrally collected data.

  The numbers of men aged between 50 and 65 who were diagnosed with and operated on for AAA and who were alive at least 30 days after their last AAA-related operation in each year since 1999 are presented in Table 1.

  The numbers of men aged between 50 and 65 who died as a result of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in each year since 1999 are presented in table 2.

  Table 1. Numbers of men aged between 50 and 65 who were diagnosed with and operated on for an abdominal aortic aneurysm and who were alive at least 30 days of their last AAA-related operation in each year since 1999:

  

 Males aged 50 to 65
 Financial Year Ending 31 March


 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008


 Patients alive within 30 days
 93
 72
 79
 92
 74
 68
 74
 64
 78
 79


 Total number of patients 
 99
 77
 86
 97
 77
 70
 77
 67
 78
 83



  Source: General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) Death Data and SMR01 (ISD Scotland) Discharges from non-obstetric/non-psychiatric NHS hospitals in Scotland. Date extracted: October 2009.

  Table 2. Numbers of men aged between 50 and 65 who died as a result of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in each year since 1999:

  

 Males aged 50 to 65
 Calendar Year


 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008


 Number of deaths
 26
 30
 19
 31
 30
 16
 26
 22
 21
 19



  Source: General Register Office for Scotland (GROS). Date extracted: October 2009.

Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many men aged over 65 were (a) diagnosed with and successfully operated on for and (b) died as a result of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in each year since 1999.

Nicola Sturgeon: It is not possible to specifically identify the success of surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) from centrally collected data.

  The numbers of men aged over 65 who were diagnosed with and operated on for AAA and who were alive at least 30 days after their last AAA-related operation in each year since 1999 are presented in table 1.

  The numbers of men aged over 65 who died as a result of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in each year since 1999 are presented in table 2.

  Table 1. Numbers of men aged over 65 who were diagnosed with and operated on for an abdominal aortic aneurysm and who were alive at least 30 days of their last AAA-related operation in each year since 1999:

  

Males aged over 65
 Financial Year Ending 31 March


 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008


 Patients alive within 30 days
 299
 301
 282
 298
 311
 331
 291
 310
 334
 345


 Total number of patients 
 329
 333
 320
 331
 336
 362
 317
 335
 360
 371



  Source: General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) Death Data and SMR01 (ISD Scotland) Discharges from non-obstetric/non-psychiatric NHS hospitals in Scotland. Date extracted: October 2009.

  Table 2. Numbers of men aged over 65 who died as a result of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in each year since 1999:

  

Males aged over 65
 Calendar Year


 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008


 Number of deaths
 202
 209
 193
 208
 231
 220
 209
 216
 224
 198



  Source: General Register Office for Scotland (GROS). Date extracted: October 2009.

Health

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the data collected in the 2008 Scottish Health Survey was first available to officials.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Health Survey is a National Statistic and, as such, has complied with the rules set out in the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics (Scotland) Order 2008. The Order states that the maximum period of pre-release access to statistics in their final form is five working days before publication. Pre-release access to the Scottish Health Survey 2008 was given to ministers and officials within the five working day period before publication.

  In addition, the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Official Statistics allows early access to be granted for quality assurance purposes. Scottish Government analysts involved in the quality assurance process for this report first received access six weeks before publication.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive by how much the budget for Highlands and Islands Enterprise will fall over the period of the current spending review, from 2007-08 to 2010-11, in (a) real and (b) cash terms.

Jim Mather: The latest Gross Domestic Product deflators issued by Her Majesty’s Treasury shows 2008-09 as base year, 2009-10 as 1% and 2010-11 as 1.5%.

  The right hand column of the table below shows the effect of applying these deflators to the Highlands and Islands Enterprise budget. The baseline is the financial year 2007-08.

  

 
Cash Budget £ Million
Cash Terms Reduction Against 2007-08
Real Terms Reduction Against 2007-08


 2007-08
 89
 -
 -


 2008-09
 77.8
£11.2 million
£11.2 million


 2009-10
 74.8
£3 million
£3.03 million


 2010-11
 74.3
£0.5 million
£0.507 million



  The reform of Highlands and Islands Enterprise has developed a sharper focus on its key role of supporting sustainable economic growth while continuing to support fragile rural communities. This has led to many success stories not least attracting Welcon Towers to Machrihanish to save and develop the wind tower manufacturing facility.

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise should not be viewed in isolation however, as it is only one arm of the very significant package of funding we have in place to support and stimulate economic growth in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Skills Development Scotland, the newly established business gateway for the area, the Road Equivalent Tariff Scheme and the Town Centre Regeneration Fund together bring a funding investment of £26.7 million this year, in addition to that allocated to Highlands and Islands Enterprise

  Businesses in the area also benefit from a range of non-domestic rates relief including the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which alone amounts to an estimated £14.4 million in 2009-10, Rural Rate Relief and Empty Property Relief.

Mental Health

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the target times are for referrals, by GPs to consultants, of people with psychiatric or psychological problems.

Nicola Sturgeon: No such referral target has been set. Most referrals take place quickly and well within the target times for other illnesses. The exception to this is referral to consultants for those requiring access to specialist child and adolescence mental health services.

  We will shortly announce a target for access in this area in line with commitment I made in November 2008.

NHS Hospitals

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what standard of staffing and equipment is required for a designated accident and emergency unit.

Nicola Sturgeon: The staffing and equipment required to run an accident and emergency unit is a matter for NHS boards and varies depending on the size of the unit and the number of attendees. A wide range of health professionals, which includes consultants, doctors, nurses and support staff are required to care for patients needing emergency care.

  Planning guidance on accident and emergency departments within hospitals in Scotland is provided in the Scottish Health Planning Note (SHPN 22) available from the following link:

  http://www.hfs.scot.nhs.uk/online-services/publications/property/scottish-health-planning-notes/.

  A further source of information is the College of Emergency Medicine publication The Way Ahead - December 2008, which sets out the workforce, facilities and equipment needed to deliver the core service in emergency medicine. The document is available at:

  http://www.collemergencymed.ac.uk/CEM/About%20the%20College/Current%20Issues%20and%20Statements/The%20Way%20Ahead/default.asp.

NHS Staff

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive into which award level each of the 27 additional awards under the 2008 Consultants’ Distinction Awards, made, fell.

Nicola Sturgeon: The 27 additional awards available under the 2008 Distinction Awards Scheme for NHS consultants in Scotland were split into the following categories: three A+ awards, eight A awards and 16 B awards.

Sport

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much sportscotland has invested in the development of grassroots sporting activities in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much sportscotland has invested in school and community sport in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been issued through sportscotland’s Building For Sport programme in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been issued under the community facilities strand of sportscotland’s Sports Facilities Fund in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27515 on 25 September 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Correction

The reply to question S3W-27281 which was originally answered on 28 September 2009, has been corrected: see page 7636 or http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/pqa/wa-09/wa1022.htm.